The General Assembly will convene Tuesday to consider overriding the veto of this bill that would require people seeking aid for their families through the state's Work First program to submit to costly and invasive drug tests.

The governor called this “a recipe for government overreach and unnecessary government intrusion ... that is not a smart way to combat drug abuse." We, and the ACLU, agree.

“Not only does this bill violate the Fourth Amendment by mandating an ‘unreasonable search and seizure,’ it also forces people in need to pay up front for this invasion of the privacy and violation of the rights,” said Brian Irving, LPNC communications director.

The bill does nothing to rehabilitate people who test positive for drugs. “But it would open the door to costly and unnecessary government intrusions into the physical privacy of North Carolinians who need public assistance to care for their families,” said Sarah Preston, ACLU-NC policy director. “It would also force people in need to pay up front for their urine test, likely deterring many families from even applying.”

Preston also noted that there is all available evidence has shown that welfare applicants are no more likely to use drugs than the general public.

Join the LPNC and the ACLU-NC in urging your state representative to sustain the governor’s veto of H.B. 392!